This invention relates to a volatile substance dispenser and method for dispensing volatile materials, and in particular wherein fragrance is dispensed by means of a fragrance dispenser which is connected to an electrical outlet.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,230,837, issued Jul. 27, 1993 I disclosed a fragrance dispenser wherein a fragrance wheel was saturated with a selected fragrance material, and then rotated with a motor which could be energized by light falling on a photovoltaic cell. The purpose of this motorized fragrance dispenser was to supply an aromatic substance to a room, such as, for example, a bathroom where masking existing odors is desirable, or the dispenser could be used to dispense insecticides, and so on. While the above referenced invention succeeds in its applications, the instant invention further addresses the requirements of economy for a volatile substance dispenser. For the many applications in which it is desirable or necessary to modify the ambient air characteristics of a room, as, for example, by dispensing volatiles such as fragrances and insecticides, the invention provides a volatile substance dispenser with no moving parts and which simply plugs into a suitable electrical outlet. The dispenser is capable of economies of manufacture which permits discarding the dispenser when the volatile material within the dispenser is consumed.
Devices have been suggested for fragrancing an area as is evident from U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,145,001 and 4,849,606. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,145,001 a method for packaging volatile substances,including fragrance materials, is disclosed. The fragrance material is packaged within two layers of flexible material, the outer layer being impermeable to volatile vapors, and an inner layer being permeable to said vapors. To fragrance an area the outer layer is peeled away, exposing the permeable layer, and this permeable layer then allows the fragrance material to diffuse slowly into the surrounding area over an extended period of time.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,849,606 a tamper resistant container for fragrancing an area is disclosed. A tray contains the volatile fragrance material, with the top of the tray being secured with a double layer covering. The top layer of the covering is impermeable to the volatile fragrance material. To use this fragrance dispensing device, the top layer is peeled away exposing a second, volatile permeable layer. The tray is then slotted into an outer container equipped with electrical prongs which when connected to an electrical outlet provides heating to Vaporize the volatile fragrance material. When the fragrance material is consumed, the tray is removed from the electrical holder and replaced with a new tray. Before use, the trays remain tamper resistant due to one or more free standing ribs within the tray.
In the instant invention an impermeable protective outer layer of film is removed from the upper surface of the volatile substance dispenser, exposing openings or louvers in this upper surface. The dispenser is then directly connected to a suitable electrical outlet. Gentle heating of a means for retaining the volatile substance is then instantly generated, causing the retained, volatile substance to emit vapors, and thus modify the ambient air within the selected room until the volatile material is consumed. When no longer effective, the volatile substance dispenser is simply discarded. Only extremely low voltage current is generated, making the volatile substance dispenser of the instant invention safe even for accidental handling by infants.
Therefore, it is a primary object of the invention to provide an inexpensive volatile substance dispenser.
A further object is to provide a volatile substance dispenser which is activated when connected to an electrical outlet.
An additional object of the invention is to provide an electrical connection to a volatile substance dispenser that is safe for accidental handling by infants.
Another object of the invention is to provide an inexpensive volatile substance dispenser that can be discarded when no longer effective.
Still another object is to provide for efficient volatilization of a volatile material within a volatile substance dispenser utilizing a minimum quantity of electrical energy.